After almost two decades in prison for the alleged murder of three young boys, Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelly Jr., known as the West Memphis Three, are free after proclaiming innocence and pleading guilty. In an agreement between the prosecution and the state, the men were able to enter an Alford plea allowing them to maintain their innocence and admit they are only pleading guilt because it is in their best interest. Please sign this petition and urge Arkansas Governor, Mike Beebe, to pardon the West Memphis Three in light of their release from prison and acknowledgement of innocence by the state.

In May 1993 the nude, mutilated, and bound bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found in a drainage canal in West Memphis, Arkansas. In an astounding display of profiling by the police, 18-year-old Damien Echols became a suspect because he wore black, liked heavy metal music, and considered himself a Wiccan. 17-year-old Jessie Misskelly Jr. was an old acquaintance of Echols’ who surfaced during the investigation. Despite Misskelly’s low IQ and mental disabilities, police accepted his shaky confession after a nearly 12-hour police interrogation. Misskelly confessed to the murders and implicated Echols and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin as his accomplices. Misskelly and Baldwin were sentenced to life in prison while Echols faced the death sentence in solitary confinement.

After a number of appeals and public efforts by celebrities and some of the victim’s families, the West Memphis Three were given a hearing by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Due to lack of genetic evidence found at the crime scene and inconsistencies in the trial, witness accounts, and Misskelly’s original confession, the men were offered a deal that would vacate the previous convictions in exchange for so-called Alford guilty pleas. The Alford plea allowed the men to assert their innocence, as they have since the investigation began, while at the same time admitting guilt for the sole purpose of getting released from prison and capital murder convictions.

Please sign this petition and urge Governor Beebe to grant the West Memphis Three a pardon due to lack of evidence, juror misconduct, and for the 18 years and 78 days served by the three innocent men.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor Beebe,

Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelly Jr. were wrongfully convicted of capital murder in 1993 as the West Memphis Three. Despite lack of evidence, inconsistent eye-witness accounts, profiling by police, and a confession from a mentally disabled teen, the three men were forced to plead guilty, while continuing to assert their innocence, as part of a deal for freedom after almost two decades of false imprisonment. Please extend a pardon to these three men in order for them to live normal lives as contributing members of society without the cloud of false capital murder convictions interrupting their ability to achieve.

In May of 1993 the three teenagers were convicted based on assumptions by small town citizens who viewed the accused ringleader as an outcast. Damien Echols wore black, enjoyed heavy metal music, and considered himself a Wiccan at age 18. His “goth” personality led to a criminal investigation when the bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found mutilated, nude, and bound in West Memphis. During the investigation, police interrogated Jessie Misskelly Jr., a mentally disabled, then 17-year-old, during a nearly 12-hour interrogation where Misskelly confessed to the murders and implicated Echols and another teen, 16-year-old Jason Baldwin.

Granting the men a pardon for having served 18 years and 78 days in prison for crimes they didn’t commit as part of a corrupt and inconclusive trial, would allow the men to lead fulfilling lives as regular citizens. Please award these men the pardon they deserve, thereby canceling the relevant penalties faced by convicted felons, and granting forgiveness for the accused crimes.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: policymic via Yahoo

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9 Comments

This articles repeats many of the myths about the WM3 case. Echols was a suspect because he had a history of threats of violence, violence, psychiatric treatment and psychotic behavior (See court documents exhibit 500 for evidence of all this).

Misskelley confessed after 4 1/2 hours of an off and on period of questioning (not 12 hours) as per court documents. He confessed four more additional times after this, twice more to the detectives, to the police and to his lawyer.

The important thing is to read a lot about the case. The movies tell one side of the story.

A few important points to remember about the case:

– Misskelley confessed five different times, three times to the detectives.

– At least three people probably committed the crimes. The crime lab found three different kinds of knots used to tie the victims.

– Echols went around bragging he committed the crimes to at least three different people after the crimes were committed.

– Baldwin told another person he committed the crimes. The person he told passed a lie detector test about the truth of this.

– All of the West Memphis three had failed alibis.

– Echols was seen in muddy clothes near the crime scene.

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All of the above information is verifiable from court documents. It is easy to find information on the case from the side of the defendants (the WM3). Read both sides before making a decision.

See wm3truth.com and callahan.8k.com for accurate information about this case.

Excuse me, but you dont seem to have the facts straight your own self? Jessie was interrogated for 12 hrs but only 43 mins. of it get documented/recorded. Why do you suppose that happened? The WMPD did not have Jessie’s,(a minor),father’s permission to interrogate him. He did pass the lie detector test but the POLICE LIED and said he didnt. He missed one question but it was not related to the crime! Damien did not copnfess to anyone he had did this crime. The kid that “said”, Jason admitted to him , he did the crime, wasn’t with Jason long enough..according to the Juvenile detention people. And later the kid that said he confessed to him, recanted it and said he had been on drugs for a long time, and doesnt even know why he said it at all. All 3 of the WM3, had alibi’s but the police decided they didnt like them, so disregarded them. No clothes of ANY of the WM3 ever were found when searching, to have any MUD,or BLOOD on ANY of the three! None of the 3 drove a car. SO, they just decided to walk “3 miles one nite, to kill 3 little boys they didnt even know,with the exception of Jessie. Jessie, barely knew Damien, he was not a friend of his! Jasopn was an up-standing kid in school and the community. Helped his Mother, watched children for her? hmm… IF you only listen to the so-called “confession” of Jessie’s, you can hear the police “coaching him along on the answers! There was no blood, DNA, finger prints, foot prints, hair DNA of ANY of the three accused..ever! However, there was hair, found tied up in one of the ligatures that more than likely belonged to one of the step fathers of one of the children murdered. And another of his friend’s found on a tree bark , near the ditch , where the 3 boys were found!There was also a shoe print near the ditch, LA GEAR, which the step father also wore that brand and were later discovered buried under a slab of cement, that filled in their pool. Damien always wore BOOTS..like biker/army boots! There was also, fiber found down in the knife that belonged to one of the victims, which means, that same knife had to of been used to cut a shoe lace, that was used to HOG TIE, one of the victims!JUST WAY TOO MANY… “things”, that shows LACK of evidence AGAINST the WM3! But miraculously..point in other directions!?? YOU, I BELIEVE, need to read up more, and get your facts right! They took the ALFORD PLEA, after spending 0ver 18 yrs in prison for a crime they didnt commit! I think had you been in their position, to take the plea, so they could be on the OUTSIDE, trying to defend themselves even more because the state opposed them at every turn, on appeals upon appeals! Sure they coud have remained and waited to go to court …AGAIN, maybe and if that didnt get stopped …AGAIN or put off for a few more yrs, possibly? That’s why they took the ALFORD PLEA,! THINK ABOUT IT!Jason, if you “remember”, didnt want to take the plea bu wait to go to court. However, Damien had already had one date set to out him to death. Jason didnt want that to happen again…nor did any of them want to take the chance of not getting that DAY IN COURT…again! I would have taken it too after being in prison for a crime I DID NOT COMMIT. WHO WOULDNT WANT THEIR FREEDOM FROM BEHIND BARS.. AFTER BEING SO BADLY MISTREATED, and for being railroaded by a state in the USA, that’s suposed to protect your rights, not snatch them from you and then put you in prison based on a load of “$%#$”..they conjured up to solve a crime rapicly, and in an election year, when they all wanted to move up the ladder and look “so good” in the eyes of the state? PLEASE… rethink what you think you know? And re-read or read more on this case because you got so much of it wrong!! Thank you! CS~

BTW, I FOLLOWED THIS CASE A LONG TIME AND HAVE READ EVERYTHING I COULD GET MY EYES ON! SO…I HAVE READ ALL SIDES AND THERE ARE SO MANY INJUSTICES IN THIS WHOLE THING. OH YEA,.. JURY MISCONDUCT OF USING THE SO-CALLED “CONFESSION” THEY WERENT EVEN SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT? …And was not to even be considered, due to JESSIE not testifying against Jason and Damien, and their trials were separate? REMEMBER?? BUT WHO BROUGHT IT INTO THE DELIBERATIONS? THE JURY FOREMAN…HMMM?… THAT WAS SEEKING ADVICE FROM ANOTHER ATTY, OUTSIDE OF THE CASE? HOW WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN ON TRIAL UNDER THESE PEOPLE? YOU COULD SEE AND HEAR IT ALL HAPPENING TO YOU BUT COULDNT DO A THING ABOUT IT!? ~WOW!~ UNBELIEVABLE!

I’m with you chelly, 1000%!!!! I’ve followed this case from day one and just recently did a paper for my Sociology class. This miscarriage of justice is an embarrassement for all Arkansans (I’m from Little Rock)and the only reason the courts rushed to offer the Alford Plea was so that the WM3 couldn’t turn around and sue the state for false imprisonment…which is despicable! Anybody that still thinks these guys are guilty needs a reality check. I think that everybody responsible for railroading these young men should have to spend 18 years of their life locked up and see how they like it.

Wrong. Jessie Miskelley did not confess after twelve hours. That is a lie that was fabricated to grab attention. He was picked up around 10:00 a.m., given a polygraph after they located his father and got his permission tod do so and that concluded around noon. The detectives were informed that he was being deceptive and at 2:20 p.m. of the same day he provided the first of several confessions (including pre and post conviction). At the absolute most, he was questioned for about two hours before confessing. Sorry folks, but the real killers were caught, prosecuted, and convicted. Even they admit that the state has enough evidence to convict them again if a new trial was to be given. Fact. Not an opinion.

Way to go Chelly!!! I was barely a teenager when this aweful crime was committed, yet even I could see how wrong the three of them were railroaded and stereo-typed! I was angered by these people that we are supposed to look up to to uphold the law! This happened less than 50 miles from me, if Im not mistaken, some of the lawyers come from Paragould where I called home for over 10 years. I sure would not want these people defending me! I dont blame these guys one bit for takin that plea. If I was placed in their position, I would do the same. Honestly, I think that anyone, including Mr./Ms. Facts up there would do the same! I think you should take a look at those FACTS again! Not long ago, a member of one of the boys that was killed took a lie detector test and PASSED stating that it was the boys family member that done it that HE had told them years ago that he did it. So before you get on your pulpit to preach, maybe YOU should take a look at the real facts before placing blame. Besides, if I read the same bible as everyone else, I believe it says something like ye judge lest ye be judged. So before you place blame on anyone else, make sure you yourself is perfect!!